Three Stacks Thursdays: New Year’s Edition

Hey, it’s another Three Stacks Thursdays, but unlike any other one that we have done in the past, this one is the last Thursday of the year.

2011 was a great year for so many people, and what better way to ring it in than to take a mini vacation and celebrate the future? In today’s Dollars & Sense we will feature some of our favorite New Year’s Eve destinations. Enjoy!

Visit Las Vegas For NYE:

Reinforcing its status as a perennial party town, Las Vegas welcomes 300,000 revelers to ring in the New Year. Hotels, clubs and bars take it to the limit with special shows, but many lock their doors around the midnight hours, so you’ll need to decide whether you want to be in or out. We recommend out, since the four-mile-long Strip becomes a vehicle-free promenade where you can drink, mingle and watch fireworks shoot off from surrounding rooftops.

Meanwhile, downtown, Fremont Street presents its raucous TributePalooza where bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers have performed. The Mirage has added an NYE performance of Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE. What better way to celebrate the year than with New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas!

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Visit Niagra Falls In Canada:

Long gone are the days when the most exciting thing to do at Niagara Falls was keep your eyes peeled for a daredevil plummeting over the cascades in a barrel. The falls are now the site of one of the biggest outdoor New Year’s Eve parties in Canada. More than 30,000 people gather in Queen Victoria Park to eat, drink and enjoy the free New Year’s Eve Concert Extravaganza, organized by the Niagara Parks Commission.

Festivities take place against the stunning backdrop of Niagara Falls, which is illuminated as part of the 29th annual Winter Festival of Lights, a November 5 to January 31 display of more than three million lights on a six-kilometer route. Brightening the night even further, the 9 p.m. and midnight fireworks over the falls are so much a part of the country’s New Year’s Eve tradition that they are televised nationwide. [pagebreak]

Financial Tip Of The Day

Make Bigger Payments & Cut Down On Interest

Your home and your car will almost always be your biggest purchases. Interest rates and payments on these two items will most likely be the bigger part of your monthly budget. Pay off debt quicker by adding an extra payment each year or using your tax refunds to pay down the balance.